VNA Lao Deputy Prime Minister, Thongloun Sisoulith, was welcomed by State President Tran Duc Luong in Hanoi on August 30. President Luong expressed his hope that Vietnam and Laos would continue to exchange experiences and enhance bilateral co-operation in various fields, including economy, commerce, investment, transport, communication, culture, education, and training. Co-operation in these areas would benefit both countries and contribute to peace, stability, development and prosperity in the region, he added. President Luong asked Deputy Prime Minister Thongloun to convey his best regards to President Khamtay Siphandon and other Lao Party and State leaders. Deputy Prime Minister Thongloun expressed sincere thanks to President Luong and praised the achievements recorded by the Vietnamese people in socio-economic development under the leadership of the Communist Party of Vietnam. Deputy Prime Minister Thongloun also expressed his wish that the Vietnamese State, government and relevant ministries, would continue to support Laos and make efforts to boost co-operation in various fields, thus contributing to strengthening the special solidarity, friendship and comprehensive co-operation between the two Parties, States and people. * State President Tran Duc Luong welcomed Slovak Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan's official visit to Vietnam as a vivid manifestation of the traditional friendship between the people of Vietnam and Slovakia. Receiving the visiting Slovak foreign minister at the Presidential Palace on the afternoon of August 30, Mr Luong expressed his thanks to the Slovak people for their support and assistance to the Vietnamese people's struggle for national independence in the past. He noted with satisfaction the continued development in the relations between the two countries over the past years and expressed his hope that the existing friendship and co-operation between the two countries would be broadened in the areas of economics, investment, science, and technology for the interest of both countries, thus contributing to peace, stability, co-operation, and development in the region and the world. President Tran Duc Luong asked Minister Eduard Kukan to convey to the Slovak president his best regards as well as an invitation to pay an official friendship visit to Vietnam. Foreign Minister Eduard Kukan expressed his pleasure at visiting Vietnam, witnessing the Vietnamese people's achievements in their national renovation and construction. He briefed President Luong on the current socio-economic situation in his country and the results of his talks with Vietnam's foreign minister. Mr Kukan expressed his wish for further development of the bilateral friendship and co-operation with a view to tapping each country's potential and meeting the two nation's desire to promote development co-operation. The same afternoon, Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Khiem received the Slovak foreign minister. He praised the result of the two foreign ministers' talks and wished the two-way trade value and co-operation in healthcare, education and others areas sharp increases. * Mr Nien while talking with his Slovak guest in Hanoi on August 30 noted with satisfaction the fine development of the friendship and multi-faceted co-operation between Vietnam and Slovakia. Foreign Minister Kukan affirmed the Slovak government's determination to further strengthen the multi-faceted co-operation between Slovakia and Vietnam. The two ministers informed each other of the current situation in their respective countries and discussed measures to speed up the bilateral co-operative relations in economics, trade, culture, science, education, training, and health care. They also exchanged views on international and regional issues of mutual concern and agreed to strengthen co-ordination at international forums. (VNA) **** President praises Phu Luong people's contributions President Tran Duc Luong praised the Party Committee, Party members and ethnic minority people of Phu Luong district, Thai Nguyen northern province for their positive contributions in national construction and defence. This was while receiving veteran revolutionaries and Heroic Mothers of the district in Hanoi on August 30. The president expressed his happiness at meeting them and asked them to convey his best regards to all ethnic minority people in the district. He said he highly appreciated the contributions of people of Phu Luong district in the revolutionary cause of the Party and State, further hoping that Phu Luong people would promote the revolutionary tradition of their homeland and build a stronger district, thus helping to successfully realise the Resolution of the Ninth Party Congress. **** Telecom development, wage policy discussed The government met in Hanoi on August 29-30 to discuss, among other things, a strategy to develop the country's post and telecommunications sector as well as ways and means to reform the present public wage and salary system. At the two-day meeting, the cabinet spent much time discussing the modernisation of telecom infrastructure facilities to meet the demand of national development and match the regional level by 2020. The cabinet also reviewed the country's policy on wages, salaries, as well as social allowances, that has been implemented since 1993. The government agreed in principle to conduct a basic reform of the national wage and salary system in the 2001-2005 period in line with the Resolution of the Ninth National Party congress. "The wage and salary reform must be effected in tandem with the administrative reform and the re-organisation of the State apparatus and personnel," the participants noted. To this end, Prime Minister Phan Van Khai asked relevant ministries and agencies to devise appropriate strategies for wage and salary reforms, stressing "Wages and salaries must be closely associated with national socio-economic development and the streamlining of the State apparatus". The government also discussed draft laws and bills on the organisation of the government and the People's Councils and People's Committees (revised) as well as the election of the People's Council's members (revised). It further reviewed a programme on law and ordinance making in 2002. The government has planned seven laws, ordinances, and projects to be submitted to the National Assembly this year and is currently preparing 13 draft laws to be submitted for approval next year. The government also made clear its guidance on rice stockpiling for export in the recent past and came to the conclusion that the guidance is correct and necessary as it helped rice producers sell their surplus commercial rice. Regarding the socio-economic development in the first eight months, the government stressed that the growth rates made during the period are lower than those of the same period last year, despite progress in budget revenue, industrial production, capital construction and job generation. It also called for greater efforts by every ministry, agency, and locality in the remaining four months of the year in order to make the 2001 socio-economic development plan a success. (VNA) **** NA chairman to attend AIPO general assembly Vietnamese National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An will attend the 22nd ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Organisation (AIPO) General Assembly scheduled in Bangkok, Thailand, from September 2-7. Mr An will be accompanied by National Assembly Vice Chairman Nguyen Van Yeu, Head of the NA's Committee for External Relations Do Van Tai, Head of the National Assembly Office Vu Mao, a number of NA delegates and senior officials of the National Assembly Office. (VNA) **** ASEAN countries meet on Mekong Basin development co-operation Representatives of the ten ASEAN member countries as well as China and the ASEAN Secretariat gathered for the third session of the Committee for ASEAN Mekong River Basin Development Co-operation (AMBDC) forum held in Bangkok, Thailand, on August 29-30. The Vietnamese delegation was headed by Nguyen The Phuong, deputy head of the Planning and Investment Ministry's External Economic Department. The participants focused their discussion on financial reports on the development co-operation in the Mekong basin and the involvement of other countries including Japan and the Republic of Korea in the AMBDC. They also discussed Cambodia's assumption of the AMBDC Presidency in January of 2002. Preparations for the third AMBDC Ministers' Conference scheduled in Thailand on October 8-9 were also on the agenda. AMBDC was set up in 1996 to strengthen the steady development of the Mekong river Basin, encourage the negotiation process, define co-operation projects, and accelerate economic exchanges between ASEAN and countries stretching along the Mekong river. (VNA) **** National Day marked in Long An A meeting was held in Long An Mekong delta province on August 29 to celebrate the 56th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day. Party Central Committee member and secretary of the provincial Party Committee, Le Thanh Tam, reviewed the historical significance of the two events and reaffirmed the path to socialism led by the Party and Uncle Ho over the past 70 years. He also promised that the Party Committee and people of Long An province are determined to apply the Resolution of the Ninth Party Congress to life and fulfil socio-economic targets in 2001. **** More post and telecom staff join Party A total of 113 staff of the Post and Telecommunications Corporation were recognised as new Party members on August 30 on the occasion of the 56th anniversary of the August Revolution, National Day and the foundation of the post sector. During the ceremony held at the Vietnam Revolutionary Museum, delegates listened to an audio recording of late President Ho Chi Minh's Independence Declaration on September 2, 1945 and visited the museum. **** Vietnamese, Russian trade union promote ties Vice president of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labour (VGCL) Do Duc Ngo had a working session with a visiting delegation from the All Russia Electricity Trade Union led by its vice president Bondarev Vasili Ilich in Hanoi on August 29. The Russian delegation visited Vietnam from August 20-30 at the invitation of the Trade Unions of the Electricity of Vietnam. At the meeting, Mr Ilich praised VGCL's role in protecting and caring for workers' lives. A memorandum of understanding on co-operation between the trade union organisations of electricity sectors of Vietnam and Russia was signed on August 28. Under the signed document, the two sides will exchange experience in trade union work including protection of trade union members' rights, and inform each other of their activities in international trade union organisations. They will strive to establish a relationship and effective co-operative ties between trade union organisations of electricity enterprises of Russia and Vietnam. The All Russia Electricity Trade Union will help Vietnam in personnel training in Russia. (VNA) _________________________________________________ KOMINFORM P.O. Box 66 00841 Helsinki Phone +358-40-7177941 Fax +358-9-7591081 http://www.kominf.pp.fi General class struggle news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe mails to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Geopolitical news: [EMAIL PROTECTED] subscribe: [EMAIL PROTECTED] __________________________________________________
